Removing smoke from old Paulsons? (1 Viewer)

JacksBlack

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Any advice on how to remove the smell of smoke from an old set of casino used Paulson’s?

The chips are clean, but have a faint smoke smell. I’d like to remove it without damaging the chips.
 
I don't know what kind of magic the Jedi masters have to offer, but I cleaned a whole heaping pile of Majestic Stars with Simple Green and that seemed to do the trick. They smelled like Simple Green for a while too...but now, odorless!
 
What chips? Certain chips don't do well with ultrasonic/TSP bath...
 
I don't know what kind of magic the Jedi masters have to offer, but I cleaned a whole heaping pile of Majestic Stars with Simple Green and that seemed to do the trick. They smelled like Simple Green for a while too...but now, odorless!
Those are the same ones I’m working with. Thank you for your reply!

What chips? Certain chips don't do well with ultrasonic/TSP bath...
Weathered Majestic Stars… they have seen some things. They are very clean… just a faint cigarette smell.
 
I don't know what kind of magic the Jedi masters have to offer, but I cleaned a whole heaping pile of Majestic Stars with Simple Green and that seemed to do the trick. They smelled like Simple Green for a while too...but now, odorless!
I hope you didn’t wash the Paulson smell out of them!
 
How do you like your iconic Dunes chips (profile pic)? I love the way those look, as we play cards in a golf-themed room.
Funny thing is I kind of hate golf. I mean I rarely golf - it’s not my thing. But I love the chips. The $5s, $20s and $100s are oversized 43mm baccarat chips. And they’re the older leaded clay formula, with textured inlays so they feel great.
But if you just like the look, there have probably been more dunes tribute sets produced over the years in (in plastic, ceramic and China clay) than any other set ever, aside from WSOP chips.
 
Majestic Star chips when they were released last year were the smelliest chips I have ever received. When I opened the box from USPS Oh My! They stunk like a Spittoon.
Fortunately the ultrasonic cleaned them up. 1 minute per barrel (to minimize wear on old leaded chips) 15 seconds,shake,15sec, tooth brush to each side to loosen more dirt, then back in for another 20-30 seconds out and rinse. 42 celcius, dish soap and coarse salt. The smell is completely gone.
The new batch is grimey but not nearly as smelly as last year (perhaps they aired out for a year, either way no pics yet but these chips are seeing a night and day improvement after the ultrasonic. Here is a side by side before/after of some chips on the towel in a composite of each shot.
In short I recommend an ultrasonic

1653846064624-png.968475
 
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After cleaning the gunk off (hand wash with Dawn or ultrasonic clean with fake TSP), soak the cleaned chips in a vinegar and distilled water solution. Rinse and dry, smell should be gone.
 
Funny thing is I kind of hate golf. I mean I rarely golf - it’s not my thing. But I love the chips. The $5s, $20s and $100s are oversized 43mm baccarat chips. And they’re the older leaded clay formula, with textured inlays so they feel great.
But if you just like the look, there have probably been more dunes tribute sets produced over the years in (in plastic, ceramic and China clay) than any other set ever, aside from WSOP chips.
My feelings are the same. I played the long walk spoiled for years until I realized I just didn't enjoy it.

The Dunes chips are just fantastic in spite of the theme.
 
Majestic Star chips when they were released last year were the smelliest chips I have ever received. When I opened the box from USPS Oh My! They stunk like a Spittoon.
Fortunately the ultrasonic cleaned them up. 1 minute per barrel (to minimize wear on old leaded chips) 15 seconds,shake,15sec, tooth brush to each side to loosen more dirt, then back in for another 20-30 seconds out and rinse. 42 celcius, dish soap and coarse salt. The smell is completely gone.
The new batch is grimey but not nearly as smelly as last year (perhaps they aired out for a year, either way no pics yet but these chips are seeing a night and day improvement after the ultrasonic. Here is a side by side before/after of some chips on the towel in a composite of each shot.
In short I recommend an ultrasonic

1653846064624-png.968475
Thanks for sharing the picture! Those look great! I appreciate the advice.
 
After cleaning the gunk off (hand wash with Dawn or ultrasonic clean with fake TSP), soak the cleaned chips in a vinegar and distilled water solution. Rinse and dry, smell should be gone.
This is very helpful. I was curious about using vinegar myself.
In your opinion, should I lightly oil the chips after deep cleaning them like this?
 
I’ll pose this to the entire group… so once I remove the smoky smell, what is the consensus on lightly oiling the chips with mineral oil?
 
I’ll pose this to the entire group… so once I remove the smoky smell, what is the consensus on lightly oiling the chips with mineral oil?
I would think many people here would encourage you to lightly oil your chips. Personally I avoid oiling because I don’t enjoy the process of doing it properly and over-oiled chips are the worst. But yes, sometimes after you give chips a good cleaning, they end up looking really dried out. And if that’s the case yes, oil them. LIGHTLY!
 
To oil very lightly, I found it best to put a few drops on the corner of a small cloth and wipe down the edges of a barrel of chips.
Then take another cloth and wipe down that barrel to remove as much oil as possible. Then separate the chips and use THAT cloth to wipe down the face of each chip.
The small amount of oil on the 2nd cloth will oil the chips nicely without getting too much on them.
 
To oil very lightly, I found it best to put a few drops on the corner of a small cloth and wipe down the edges of a barrel of chips.
Then take another cloth and wipe down that barrel to remove as much oil as possible. Then separate the chips and use THAT cloth to wipe down the face of each chip.
The small amount of oil on the 2nd cloth will oil the chips nicely without getting too much on them.
Yes, I haven’t used this exact method, but I think it’s fair to say that light piling is labor intensive. Some call it a labor of love. I call it labor.
 
I’ll pose this to the entire group… so once I remove the smoky smell, what is the consensus on lightly oiling the chips with mineral oil?
Having also oiled the Majestic Stars by hand using the aforementioned "light oiling" method, I'd recommend it - particularly for the fives. The other denominations didn't seem to lose as much "juice" as the fives, probably because of the red color and how worn they are. A rag with some mineral oil and a good podcast are an ideal duo in this situation.
 
To oil very lightly, I found it best to put a few drops on the corner of a small cloth and wipe down the edges of a barrel of chips.
Then take another cloth and wipe down that barrel to remove as much oil as possible. Then separate the chips and use THAT cloth to wipe down the face of each chip.
The small amount of oil on the 2nd cloth will oil the chips nicely without getting too much on them.
This is makes a lot of sense! I appreciate you taking the time to provide such detailed support! Thank you!
 
Having also oiled the Majestic Stars by hand using the aforementioned "light oiling" method, I'd recommend it - particularly for the fives. The other denominations didn't seem to lose as much "juice" as the fives, probably because of the red color and how worn they are. A rag with some mineral oil and a good podcast are an ideal duo in this situation.
This makes total sense! I agree the 5s are the most washed out of the lot. I’ll start there.

Always happy to take podcast recommendations too!
 
This makes total sense! I agree the 5s are the most washed out of the lot. I’ll start there.

Always happy to take podcast recommendations too!
For chip washing? Well, I'm partial to Retronauts and Talking Simpsons because I'm an old nerd who never really made it out of the early 90s apparently. Beyond that we are getting into niche Magic: The Gathering and pro-wrestling content... ;)
 

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